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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region Focus International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Help down under
By Nevine El-Aref
When Egyptologist Zaki Saad unearthed more than 10,000 graves and an abundance of funerary objects at Ezbet Al-Walda between 1941 and 1952, the find made quite a splash in archaeological circles. But since then, this historically rich spot has virtually been re-buried in neglect.
Located 25 kilometres south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, Ezbet Al-Walda remains one of the most important pre-dynastic necropolises, believed to be the major burial grounds for early inhabitants of the ancient city of Memphis. Grave architecture found at the necropolis is unique in the Memphis region, pointing up the need for preservation work. But after Saad's team concluded its work, all excavations stopped and the site was left unprotected, without even a wall or fence.
Without supervision or barriers to protect the site, Helwan inhabitants started to build their own houses around the site and urban sprawl has virtually infiltrated the burial grounds. In 1984 the Egyptian Archaeological Organisation -- now the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) -- was forced to cede the land to Helwan's inhabitants. Modern villages have already engulfed part of the archaeological area and construction projects further threaten the site.
"It was a mess," remarks Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, director general of the Giza Plateau. In order to save what's left of the site and to salvage the remains of the necropolis, the Australian Centre for Egyptology at Macquarie, Sidney University (ACMSU) started to conduct fieldwork at Ezbet Al-Walda in 1997.
"The situation of Ezbet Al-Walda necropolis is now very bad," declared Christina Kohler, head of the Australian-Egyptian excavation team set up to rescue the site from certain devastation. The team is getting some much-needed help back in Australia, where ACMSU has prepared a photographic exhibition offering an overview of the site; the excavation work that has been executed there, the objects discovered and, of course, the urban encroachment. Revenues from the exhibition will be used to set up a fund for saving this pre-dynastic site half a world away.
The new salvage mission will survey and selectively re-excavate the site, studying the architectural style of the tombs and recording the artefacts previously discovered. The main goal is to reconstruct the original grave assemblages and establish a detailed spatial and chronological development of the Ezbet Al-Walda necropolis.
The salvage team: an Australian-Egyptian mission picks up where archaeologist Zaki Saad left off half a century ago
photo: David Pritchard
"Our work has been very successful, as we are working with modern techniques and were able to study the architecture of the tombs that was known before," said Kohler.
The team has also been excavating new areas around the site and recently uncovered five new tombs just to the east of the modern village. Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the SCA, confirmed that the tombs are very large and include numerous burial chambers. The lower parts are rock-hewn, while the upper levels make up a large mud-brick mastaba built in a rectangular shape.
A large amount of pottery, domestic tools, stone and copper vessels have been unearthed in recent excavations, as well as skeletons and other organic remains. Excavators meticulously execute preservation processes on all fragments and remains found before removing them for storage and further study. Newly discovered objects are stored at the Antiquities Inspectorate, located in the archaeological area, where they await specialised work.
"So far, we have not had many human remains," remarks Kohler, "but the ones that we have found are often very fragmented or were badly affected by mineral salts and not very well preserved."
Thorough studies could take a long time, but most people can't wait to find out what they've found. So it's not surprising that Kohler was eager to share what is known about some of the human remains found in one of the new mastaba tombs. A cursory study revealed that the remains belong to an older man, who was evidently very tall, but this has yet to be determined by a physical anthropologist.
Some of the most significant archaeological work has been a race against time -- usually the threat of impending destruction. Excavation work at Ezbet Al-Walda will resume in December. Let's hope the flame doesn't die before then.
